Ben Gvir courting ultra-Orthodox to join police force

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is calling on the ultra-Orthodox to join the police force, with his office reportedly advancing plans to recruit some 1,200 employees and volunteers from that community.

“I’m happy to announce an important and positive plan that I have initiated: recruiting Haredim to the Israel Police. With the plan, we’ll double the number of Haredim who serve in the police in various positions, in the Border Police, cybersecurity, as detectives, in online and technological policing and more. In frameworks suitable to an observant lifestyle. Haredim, come and join the police force,” writes Ben Gvir on X.

He links to an Israel Hayom article that says the police force currently has 423 Haredim in its ranks, 65 of them women. The new plan seeks to boost the number to 1,200, the article says, though it leaves out how many will be volunteers.

Volunteer training will focus on ultra-Orthodox who had served in the army and will include a 30 hour-course. To accommodate many Haredim’s requirements for segregation between the sexes, Haredi police officers would serve in new sex-segregated workplaces, the article says.